>We are among those who have had a lympho clump.
>
>The hypothesis that there might be a viral trigger for some cases was
>investigated for a while at the Dept.  of Comparative Medicine of MIT,
>but they didn't find a culprit.  That doesn't mean that such a silent
>viral contributor doesn't exist; it is just a reflection of how very
>difficult such studies are.
 
In the mid 90's, Sue Erdman published that lymphoma could be spread by a
cell-free inoculum between an animal with lymphoma and a normal healthy
one (actually 4/6 in this study developed).  This is strong evidence that
a virus in involved, as the filtering system used would also filter out
bacteria.
 
There are a number of animal species that have viruses that can cause
lymphoma - with the most common culprits being retroviruses and
herpesviruses.
 
However, there was no success at isolating the virus, and when I most
recently talked with Sue about six months ago, she is no longer
investigating lymphoma in ferrets, so it is doubtful that further work
along these lines is forthcoming from MIT.  (This is not uncommon in the
research world, as research is quite expensive, and today, only funded
experiments go forward.
 
Regarding the original question about aspirating nodes - if the nodes are
indeed enlarged, then an aspirate is always a good idea.  Remember that
fat often accumulates around the nodes of older ferrets, causing them to
appear enlarged.  However, an aspirate is a very safe, relatively painless
procedure that can usually be done without general anesthesia.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3623]